Iâ€™m sure Iâ€™m not the only parent who worries about teaching my kids whatâ€™s right and whatâ€™s wrong. Iâ€™ve spent countless hours concerned about what to teach them and the best way to teach it. For a modern parent, there are countless clubs and activities to sign your kid up for. We want a child who can play a sport or two, dance, sing, play chess and maybe attend yoga all while keeping up with homework and li ...

Recently one of the twins was invited to a birthday party. Just one of them. This was a big moment. Normally both get invited and, up until recently, they love being together.Â And while we recognise theyâ€™re individuals and need their own friends and time, as a parent itâ€™s hard not to worry about how the non-invited twin reacts to not being invited. To soften the blow grandma organised a day at her place and ...

Ahh, holidays. A break from routine to recharge the batteries. A few moments where you try and relax and celebrate life once more. A period of quality time, new experiences and of course endless arguments. In other words, a designated collection of days where you get to remember why you celebrated the kids finally going to school. For a lot of us parents, it can be more stressful than the humdrum routine. H ...

Two weeks before the twins were born I started writing my girls letters. Iâ€™ve never stopped. This month I thought Iâ€™d share one with you. Dear baby girls, I simply love being your daddy but sometimes itâ€™s difficult being a parent. I love you girls so very much I automatically want to protect you from anything that can hurt you physically or emotionally. But the truth is that even though you may see me a sup ...

Parenting is difficult. It's unrelenting and it takes its toll physically and mentally and sometimes you find yourself just doing things on autopilot. While this routine is often a good thing, there are times when you wonder about your state of mind. For example, the other day I was hurriedly making dinner on a stressful day while mentally reviewing the to-do list when I look up at my girls. Eating the dinn ...

Wise people often try to provide focus and context with the quote â€śitâ€™s about the journey not the destinationâ€ť. Nowhere is that quote more relevant than when travelling with kids. Granted some of you may be looking forward to drinks at the destination but the most stressful part of holidays as a parent is inevitably the getting-there part of the equation. Like the fact you can fight all day to get a child t ...

Picking a name is a delicate negotiation full of conflicting emotions and motivations. Traditional family names, personal preferences and current trends all factor into what can easily turn into a very passionate conversation. And donâ€™t even start me on â€śOh no, we canâ€™t name them Kerry. I once knew a Kerry who was a horrible personâ€ť. So who actually gets to name them? Most women will insist they have the fi ...

When my girls were born, amidst the emotion and tears and wonder, I set myself some lofty goals. First and foremost I wanted to not just be a good parent, but the best i could be. To do this, I set myself noble goals: to protect them, nurture them, and teach them... all to perfectly prepare them for the world. It seemed pretty simple: teach them the basics of being a good human being through simple lessons ...

Reading is the gift that gives and if youâ€™re a parent, what it gives is a blessed silence. I was interested to read a recent study that said despite a general decline in reading, girls today aged 6-13 years were actually more interested in picking up a book. As a bibliophile, I think this is great. As a dad of twin girls aged six, I think this is awesome. You see I love books. A lot. And Iâ€™ve always worried ...

Mothers come in all shapes and sizes and thatâ€™s never been truer in an age where women can do it all. Or at least as much as they want. The balance that most women face is somehow fitting it all in. Especially when work and career come into the equation. Take my wife (but donâ€™t take her far because I need her to pay the bills). But seriously, my wife is an intense workaholic with the maternal instinc ...